Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIX Hong Kong Saturday, November 23, 2024 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1967
    Reference No: 6239
    Case No: 1’626’500
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona "Cherry Logo"
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 722, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet, endlinks stamped "7205" and “71”, max length 180mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped "4.66"
    Dimensions: 37mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed
    Provenance: Phillips: START-STOP-RESET: 88 Epic Stainless Steel Chronographs on 14th May 2016, lot 73.
    Literature: For similar watches see Ultimate Rolex Daytona, Pucci Papaleo Editore, p. 228-231 and p. 264-267.

  • Provenance

    Phillips: START-STOP-RESET: 88 Epic Stainless Steel Chronographs on 14th May 2016, lot 73.

  • Catalogue Essay

    As the inaugural Cosmograph Daytona reference launched in 1963, the ref. 6239 holds remarkable significance in Rolex's chronograph lineage. In production from approximately 1963 until 1976, the reference was available in stainless steel, 14K and 18K yellow gold and was the firm’s first chronograph with the tachometer scale engraved on the bezel.

    This superb early example from circa 1967 fitted with a beautiful black matte dial and silvered sunken subsidiary dials with the highly desirable red ‘Daytona’ printed above the 6 o’clock subsidiary dial is undeniably charming. Interestingly, the visibility of the “T-SWISS-T” designation on this unusual dial is completely obstructed by the case. Only when the dial is carefully removed from the case that one is able to admire this subtle detail. An early bezel with 300 units per hour calibration and a gorgeous riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet completes the vintage aesthetic.

    For the discerning collector, the appeal of the ref. 6239 transcends rarity or value. The present example transports the collector back to an era when the Daytona legend was still being written.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

    One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.

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866

Ref. 6239
An uncommon and highly attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet and "Cherry Logo" dial

Circa 1967
37mm diameter
Case, dial, movement, bracelet and clasp signed

Estimate
HK$240,000 - 480,000 
€28,300-56,700
$30,800-61,500

Sold for HK$482,600

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2030
WatchesHK@phillips.com
 

Gertrude Wong
Head of Sale, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2045
gertrudewong@phillips.com
 

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIX

Hong Kong Auction 23 - 24 November 2024